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Bathinda mayor to face no-confidence motion today
A total of 50 members are entitled to cast vote in the no-confidence proceeding. Amid the ongoing political ruckus in the Congress-dominated Bathinda Municipal Corporation, mayor Raman Goyal will face a no-confidence motion on Wednesday.
Amid the ongoing political ruckus in the Congress-dominated Bathinda Municipal Corporation, mayor Raman Goyal will face a no-confidence motion on Wednesday.
Political math says it would not be a cakewalk for the Congress to oust the first woman mayor of southwest Punjab’s largest urban local body, who is a close aide of the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) leader Manpreet Badal.
A total of 50 members, including the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislator from Bathinda Urban Jagroop Singh Gill, are entitled to cast a vote in the no-confidence proceeding tomorrow.
As per the Punjab Municipal Corporation Act, the mayor can be removed from her office if a resolution of the MC passed by a majority (i.e. 26 members) of the total membership of the house and by a majority of not less than two-thirds of the councillors present and voting in the meeting.
Goyal was expelled from the Congress in February this year after she sent feelers of standing with Manpreet, who joined the BJP early this year after quitting the Congress.
Four other Congress councillors were shunted out of the party for standing with the mayor and their expulsion was seen a political clash between state Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring and his old bête noire Manpreet.
In the 50-member house, 41 councillors had won as Congress candidates whereas seven belong to the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and another councillor joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
Jagroop Singh Gill left as a Congress councillor after he got elected as AAP MLA.
Mayor’s camp is believed to be comprised of about 12 councillors who express support to Manpreet.
Provisions of the Punjab Municipal Corporation Act have been preventing the Congress from tabling a no-confidence motion against the mayor as party leadership is well aware of the challenge to avoid any embarrassment to keep its flock together.
Camps of Manpreet and Warring are actively involved in hectic lobbying to win the required number game of the no-confidence motion.
